Business of Curling

Program Overview

The Business of Curling Program was developed and designed by Curling Canada. Its purpose is to help curling centres understand the business they are in. Over the past decade, curling centres have experienced a variety of problems when trying to adapt to a constantly changing environment. Meeting the challenge of survival in the marketplace has prompted them to adopt selected management tools from the private sector. These tools are helping them make a success of their facility and their programs.

Curl BC is pleased to work with Curling Canada in delivering Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Business of Curling Program.

Phase 1 – The Business of Curling Symposium

The Business of Curling Symposium is a professional development and networking conference for representatives of curling clubs within BC and elsewhere. Included in the registration fee(s) are meals, conference package & resource material as well as varied accommodation options.

The Symposium is the first stage in the Business of Curling Program. It is an ideal setting to:

share ideas and network with other curling centre managers, volunteers, members and board of director representatives

find out the newest trends in curling centre management, program deliverables, communication styles and lots more

send multiple representatives from your curling centre/club as there are multiple sessions and everyone can then assist with information sharing once returning to their home curling centre

Testimonials from the Business of Curling Symposium held in Vernon in 2010.

Would you recommend that your Curl Centre/Club participate in future Business of Curling Symposiums?

“Absolutely. I wish they were all here.”

“…wish I could have attended all the sessions.”

“Well worth the cost. Many valuable ideas that can be implemented immediately for little or no cost to staff and resources.”

Phase 2 – The Business of Curling

Phase 2 is a two-day strategic planning workshop with one or two centres and their full Board of Directors. The Board is guided through the planning process by our facilitator(s).

As a group, they will envision where they want their centres to be three to four years down the road. They will then analyze the current situation while better understanding the trends affecting the business. Finally, they will describe the steps or strategies they will need to get from where they are today to where they want to be in the future. It’s a road map to success!

This part of Business of Curling is enjoying a good return on investment, as it allows our clubs to look more closely at their operation. It asks them to find out what their customers want; and, most importantly, it hands them a written plan they can follow to improve their business without taxing their volunteers. (To be eligible for a Phase 2 workshop, the entire Board of Directors must commit to the two-day session and to work at the completed plan. The fee is $400 per club.)

The following testimonials highlight the benefits of this second phase of the Business of Curling Program.

“Exciting to see how quickly a ‘draft’ [strategic] plan could come together.
The format or agenda for the workshop was easy to follow and flowed nicely.”
~Participant 2011 Bunisess of Curling Phase 2 (club manager)

“Awakening creativity to make changes” ~Participant 2011 Business of Curling Phase 2

“..info that forces people to think about the things they do in a different way” ~Participant 2011 Business of Curling Phase 2

To request and schedule a Business of Curling Phase 2 session for your curling centre please contact Jack Bowman jackbow@telus.net, former Canadian Curling Association Chairman and Phase 2 Business of Curling facilitator.

Go ahead and Invest in Your Club!

Business of Curling symposium and workshop costs are subsidized to members. The symposium (Phase 1) is delivered in a weekend group setting and covers the latest business trends. The workshop (Phase 2) is delivered over two days with a centre’s board. They are walked through the process of creating their own five-year strategic plan.

Phase 1 Participating Members

Travel subsidies were provided to participants by Curl BC in 2007, 2012 and 2013.